Edinburgh Fringe 2017
Jayde Adams is Jayded
King Bert and United Agents present
Genre: Comedy
Venue: Pleasance
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
“Lastminute.com Best Newcomer nominee 2016, Jayde Adams is back with a new show and it’s about popularity. Ridiculous in her pursuit of acceptance, Jayde has always found it hard fitting in and now fitting in is currency.”
Review
Wearing a chequered shirt, beige jacket and high waisted trousers, Jayde Adams, with big red hair, opens her show acting out an excerpt of the film Forrest Gump. She has the box of chocolates in hand, and offers them to the audience – jokingly. Sitting alone on a wooden park bench, she places her old style worn suitcase down beside her. Solitary she talks to the audience, she chats, confesses and regales. The quiet understated start is the calm before the force of nature that Jayde Adams is and then we are pulled into her world. And what a world it is!
Jayde has something to say about everything and everyone she has known in the past. It turns out that Jayde finds it hard to make and keep friends. Her new way of finding friends is fascinating and works. Using a mic she tells us stories in various accents, breaks the theatrical fourth wall and speaks directly to the audience. She is disarmingly comedic as the humour all stems from her self-deprecating anecdotes and editorialising very effectively.
When working with the audience Jayde is witty, quick thinking and spontaneous with precise comic timing. She is smart and intuitive, too. Her battered suitcase is a rich resource of stuff that adds to the pacing of the show. These facets make for an entertaining one person show based on comedy. She plays and is playful, she is a physical storyteller, often moving around the small space or physicalizing moments when describing or sharing details from her life – real or imagined! Her head is full of thoughts – she says what we may be thinking about someone or something – and what she shares out loud in this boisterous and poignant one-hour journey is topical, relatable and authentic to her character. It’s also hilarious and entertaining!
Jayde includes a couple of songs in her show and they will blow your socks off! She has a huge range and volume, and the air of anticipation from the audience was palpable when they realised she would sing. Her voice is basically astounding and needs to be heard by everyone. Jayde has so many ideas and bits in her show that are interesting and could benefit from a little editing to support the crafting and arc from an outside eye. In all, this very entertaining show is well worth seeing for its wonderful physical comedy, storytelling and songs.
